The last few days have brought yet another body blow to the UK’s steel industry as it struggles to remain viable within a changeable global market. This marketplace, for industry in general, will also begin to feel the impact of a rising carbon price and a client base that is demanding more sustainable products. Could this shift in emphasis provide light at the end of the tunnel for the UK’s industrial sector and can it rise to the carbon challenge?

A cross-party group of parliamentarians and external stakeholders met at Westminster last week to discuss UK industry’s vision for tackling its emissions through carbon capture and storage (CCS). This range of technologies provides the means of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial facilities and power plants for storage in suitable geological sites deep underground.

On the same day we released our report, Achieving a low-carbon society: CCS expertise and opportunity in the UK. Our aim was to highlight the UK’s unique and enviable set of assets, which can deliver a CCS industry, allowing us to meet crucial emissions targets cost-effectively – in line with the international climate agreement reached in Paris – while supporting industry and powering the economy.